Rivero-less PHL taekwondo team needs to step up, says sports officials

Philippine sports officials remain confident of the national taekwondo team's medal chances in the 26th Indonesia Southeast Asian Games despite Olympian Antoinette Rivero being sidelined by injury. Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) spokesperson Joey Romasanta and Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) secretary-general Noli Gabriel are united in saying that while the country already lost one sure gold medal they believe that the other taekwondo jins will step up. The PTA scratched Rivero out of the Philippines' official SEA Games roster after the two-time Olympian injured her right foot while training in Korea last week where the Nationals are wrapping up their preparations for both the biennial regional meet and Olympic qualifiers. "(Rivero) suffered a swollen foot. So the PTA decided not to send her anymore to the SEA Games because she's one of our best hopes in the Olympic qualifier," said Gabriel. The 2012 London Olympic qualifiers will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on November 2-6, a week before the opening of the SEA Games in Indonesia. Filipino-American Pauline Lopez will take the spot vacated by the 23-year-old Rivero. She also took Rivero's spot in last year's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Rivero has won three straight SEA Games gold medals from 2005 (Manila), 2007 (Thailand), and 2009. She won a silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games in Qatar and represented the country in the in 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) Olympics. — JVP, GMA News